News & Events

Gender Representation on Public Boards

6 December 2017

Bill has equality at its heart.

The Scottish Parliament has approved the Gender Representation
on Public Boards (Scotland) Bill in principle after a stage one
debate.

The bill sets an objective for public boards that 50% of their
non-executive members are women. It also requires steps to be taken
to encourage women to apply to become non-executive members of
public boards.

Evidence shows that diversity leads to better decision making
and ultimately, better performance.

Equalities Secretary Angela Constance said:

"At its heart this bill is equality for women. It is about this
Parliament using the powers that it has to deliver a fairer, more
equal Scotland.

"Women's voices need to be heard, and they need to shape the
decisions that are made in Scotland's boardrooms and impact on our
services. Scotland's public bodies, colleges and universities are
responsible for significant sums of public money and oversee and
deliver public services which touch on all aspects of people's
lives.

"It's also really important that we continue our focus on
encouraging women to apply for these positions in the first place.
We have made much progress increasing the numbers of women on
public boards from 35% in 2007 to 45% today. But we cannot be
complacent and this legislation will ensure we cannot stall or
regress that progress.

"Positive action and appointing on merit are not mutually
exclusive. The primary objective here is still to make sure we are
attracting the most diverse, talented people to Scotland's public
boards

"If passed, this bill will make Scotland the only country in the
United Kingdom with a statutory gender representation objective for
public boards - but we are one of many international examples. This
is an important step on our journey towards gender equality in
Scotland."